Rabuka’s army of the future

ARMY Commander Major-General Si tiveni Rabuka met the press on February 12 and spoke at the Fiji Press Club luncheon in Suva. He outlined his plans and hopes for the army. Extracts: q The Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) is currently involved in

peace-keeping operations with the

United Nations Interim Force in Leb anon (UNIFIL) and the MFO (United Nations’ Multinational Forces and Ob servers in Sinai) with one officer in Afghanistan. Fiji has been sounded out through corridor discussions in New York to consider participating in peace keeping operations in Cambodia and in post-war Kuwait/Iraq. Deployed over seas are the Ist Battalion in Lebanon and the 2nd Battalion in Sinai.

As Fiji looks forward to a general election later this year or early next year, I do not envisage any major change in the roles of the FMF. There may be a call to reduce further the strength of the RFMF. The current manning level in the RFMF regular force is approximately 70 per cent of the approved establishment of 5,015. Some recent developments that have occurred in Fiji include the estab lishment of the officer training school which is the result of the withdrawal of military training assistance from Austra lia and New Zealand.

The role of this training establishment in the future, I see, is developing into a sub regional training institution where offi cers from friendly nations among the

island territories of the Pacific could come and attend formal military courses.

The purchase and the delivery of a bigger helicopter by the end of this year will add to the capability of the air wing of a bigger capacity of airborne evacu ation or the rapid deployment of police or medical personnel into a turbulent or disaster area. The RFMF is negotiating with the government on the purchase of ... four Israeli patrol boats. However, to provide the type of patrolling required while being mindful of the sea-keeping capabilities required to offer the naval personnel comfort at sea during pro longed patrols, it is imperative that Fiji, in the long term, consider the purchase of bigger patrol boats.

There will be very few changes, if any, to the major roles performed by the RFMF in the next decade or two. There may, however, be changes in the force structure, strength and deployment in keeping with the changing government policies as well as changing demands on the RFMF in future.

I would like to make public my dream that Fiji might be able to provide a

general who has the professional qualifi

cation as well as military experience to command one of the major peace keeping efforts sponsored by the UN by year 1996. Fiji is providing the top military man in the Afghanistan oper ation, the deputy force commander in UNIFIL, and by the end of February, will have an additional brigadier in UNIFIL as chief of staff.

Asaeli Lave Welcome: Major-General Rabuka meets Kiribati President leremia Tabai in Suva